Mika Anttila

Mika Kalevi Anttila was born in 1967 in Mietoinen, between the sea and the forest. He began painting in oils at the age of ten, and from the start his work has carried the pines, the groves, the sea waves and the animals of the forest. Around the same time his attention turned to the painters of Finland's Golden Age. He studied the old masters and drew on their painting styles.

Anttila's debut exhibition opened in 1992 at the Tavastila local museum. He has held many exhibitions across Finland since. His first studio was in Turku; later he returned closer to the woods, to Tarvasjoki.

His subjects are not limited to nature. He also paints portraits, still lifes and on-site studies. Over the years he has completed many commissions, including portraits of municipal directors, bank managers, executives and school principals, work that has been received warmly.

Behind Anttila's art is the thought that the art guides the maker, and the maker guides the art. He hopes the work, made and still to come, leaves a positive mark on what follows. His aim is to bring nature close to the viewer, so it becomes easier to step toward it and find something not yet seen, both in oneself and in one's surroundings.

Studio visits by appointment.